/codebase-research

name: codebase-research
description: Systematic codebase exploration following the Iron Law - understand the problem before exploring code. Four phases with file-finder and web-researcher agents.
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob, WebFetch, WebSearch, Agent, AskUserQuestion
graph:
  domains: [domain:software-engineering]
  skillAreas: [skill-area:agentic-loops, skill-area:orchestration-loop]
  workflows: [workflow:feature-development]
  topics: [topic:developer-experience]
  roles: [role:tech-lead, role:backend-engineer]

• Investigating how an existing feature works before modifying it
• Understanding dependencies and data flows before planning
• Gathering context for a known goal

Process

1. **Understand the request** - Ask clarifying questions one at a time (purpose, specifics, scope, constraints, context). Do NOT read any files until confirmed. 2. **Explore the codebase** - Use file-finder agent, read in order, trace data flows, identify constraints. 3. **Document findings** - Write structured research document to `docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-research.md`. 4. **Transition** - Ask: plan, continue research, or conclude.

Key Rules

• Quotations from source material capped at 125 characters maximum
• Only proceed to exploration after human confirms understanding
• Use file-finder agent for initial file discovery
• Use web-researcher agent for external context needs

Agents Used

• `agents/file-finder/` - Locates relevant files with suggested reading order
• `agents/web-researcher/` - Gathers external context when needed

Tool Use

Invoke via babysitter process: `methodologies/rpikit/rpikit-research`